New Year s resolution
by VictoriaGrant
Summary: Taylor helps Wash keep her New Year s resolution and other small episodes from their lives.
1. Chapter 1

This is an AU story, I´m aware that this (most likely ;) ) has not happened in Terra Nova- verse but well, the idea was interesting and I decided to simply write it anyway.

Neither the show, nor the characters are mine, I´ll give them back once I´m done playing with them...

Story is set pre- series in some imaginary war zone and Tom Boylan will make a short appearance.

* * *

It is oddly peaceful, sitting there, sipping his Scotch and watching the members of his unit as they do the same, for once no one is injured or hurt in any way and they made it back to base in time for New Year´s Eve.

He´s aware that it won´t last, they´ll be moving out again soon, perhaps the next day already but for now he´s content as his gaze sweeps over his soldiers and come to rest on his field medic.

Wash is wearing her hair down, a rare occasion and he notices quickly that he´s not the only one appreciating the sight, most members of their unit are staring at the girl who is talking animatedly, her cheeks are flushed from the heat or the alcohol or both, Taylor can´t tell and he doesn´t really care as long as it has that effect, he´s all too aware of how beautiful Wash is but right now she´s stunning and he can´t bring himself to look away.

She says something else and he sees several of his soldiers´s eyes widen, then laugh as the guy sitting next to the girl leans over and whispers something to her, causing her to slap his arm playfully as she shakes her head.

Curious Taylor gets up and casually walks over to the table, leaning against it and is pleased to see that his instructions are met and no one looks uncomfortable by his presence, tonight they are here to have a good time and he´s asked them not to mind his presence.

"You´re harassing our girl, Jenkins?"

He asks, it´s not meant in an offensive way, Wash is only seventeen, the youngest member of his unit and also the only female one and they are all protective of her and tease her at the same time.

Wash looks at Jenkins imploringly, a warning in her dark eyes but the young man just winks at her and turns towards Taylor.

"We were discussing our New Year´s solutions, Sir" he replies, wincing when Wash´s elbow collides with his ribcage.

"I see- so what are your solutions, Wash?"

The blush in her cheeks deepens impossibly and all Taylor can do is to try and not stare at her openly, damn it, he´s married and he´s more than twice her age.

It´s Jenkins who answers to his question, a gleam in his eyes even though he´s still rubbing his bruised side.

"Loosing her virginity, Sir."

This time Wash´s jab makes him double over.

Trying to compose himself, Taylor takes a sip of his drink before looking at the young woman.

"What did you slap him for the first time, Wash?"

She looks up at him.

"He offered to help me, Sir."

"Permission to beat him up if he offers again, Private."

She smirks, her eyes now twinkling with mischief.

"Thank you, Sir."

Taylor tries to block out the unbidden images in his mind, he is fairly certain that every single member of his unit would love to help Wash keeping her New Year´s resolution and Taylor´s prepared to kill every one of them with his bare hands who so much as looks at her in the wrong way.

The jealously and possessiveness where the girl is concerned shames him, he's been with his wife for over a decade and never once has he even considered breaking his marriage vows and now he´s doubting everything and it´s all because of a girl who´s turned his world upside down with her beauty and wit and dry humor and God help him, she´s not even old enough to legally consent to doing what he´s dreaming of doing with her at night.

Knowing that she hasn't consented to it up to now doesn´t make it any easier, quite the contrary, the idea of teaching her something other than shooting a rifle and one on one combat moves suddenly presents a temptation Taylor isn´t sure he´ll be able to resist.

As the evening progresses, he keeps watching his medic, she´s more carefree than he´s ever seen her, laughing and joking with the men, dark glossy locks tumbling over her shoulders whenever she moves her head.

"Don´t even think about it" a voice interrupts his musings and he looks up to see Tom Boylan settling down on the bar stool next to him, whiskey in hand.

"Tom, what do you mean?"

Boylan raises his eyebrow, then nods in the direction of the table.

"Thinking of defiling a minor, girl´s technically not even old enough to drink."

"What, want me to tell her to put the glass down and go to bed?"

"That´s not what I meant and you know it."

Taylor nods darkly, taking another sip of his drink.

"Not old enough to be in the middle of a war, either."

Boylan shrugs, drowning his own liquor ad signaling for the bar tender to pour him another one.

"True but who´s ever cared about that? Stop staring, Taylor, you have a wife waiting for you at home, let the boys have a go."

"Over my dead body" Taylor growls, his eyes narrowing as he watches Corporal Sanders lean over to Wash and whisper something into her ear, his hand coming to rest on her thigh.

She doesn´t seem to notice, is listening intently to what her comrade is telling her and Taylor´s fingers clench around the glass in his hand.

"Well, Taylor, you really do have it bad, don´t you? Might just do something about it after all before you explode."

Boylan chuckles, briefly clapping the CO´s shoulder before turning away and engaging the bar tender into a conversation about the different brands of Whiskey offered, leaving Taylor to grit his teeth while watching Sanders´ hand travel higher on Wash´s thigh.

Finally she seems to notice it and slaps it away, laughing at the disappointed expression on the Corporal´s face and comfortingly patting his arm before getting up and as she is slipping out of the booth, Taylor slowly approaches the table again, intent on listening in on the conversation.

"Come on, Wash, it´s not that late" Jenkins pleads, he seems to have recovered and is reaching for the young woman´s hand, trying to pull her back down onto the bench next to him.

"Late enough, I´m going to take advantage of having a bed for the first time in over three month and I want to be sober enough to enjoy it."

"Shall I come tug you in?"

Jenkins offers, then ducks quickly when she tries to slap him once again.

The boys give up and go back to their former talk and Wash turns around and her gaze locks with Taylor´s.

"Sir."

She smiles, her voice is different, it has a warm, almost husky quality to it due to the alcohol she´s consumed and it sends shivers down Taylor´s spine.

All thoughts of simply letting her go flee from his mind as he puts his empty glass on a nearby table.

"Turning in already, Wash?"

She nods, looking back over her shoulder at the boys.

"No one´s up to an intelligent conversation anymore, Sir."

He chuckles and she smiles back at him, the candle light bathing her in a warm glow and Taylor notices that there are tiny flecks of gold among the shades of brown and amber in her eyes and when she brushes her hair out of her face, conscious of his intense gaze on her, it catches the light and suddenly there´s a reddish glow to the inky black.

It fascinates Taylor and he finds himself wondering what else there is to discover about her, what else he has overlooked despite his constant observation of the woman in front of him.

"Walk with me."

He tells her and she follows him out of the bar and outside into the night without hesitation.

It amazes him how easy they have fallen into this pattern, with her everything has been perfectly clear from the beginning, she understands him, thinks like him, acts like him, has adapted perfectly to his methods and it makes her his most valuable asset within his unit despite her youth and lack of experience.

In time she will become his masterpiece, his perfect creation, his model soldier, accurate and deadly without fail but for now she is simply a beautiful child and he ought to leave her alone but he isn´t strong enough to stay away from her, not tonight and perhaps never again.

He leads the way over to the barracks in silence, their unit is the only one staying there and as the only woman Wash has the privilege of her own room.

Taylor walks up to her door and stops, watching as she unlocks it and pushes it open, then she turns and the picture she presents, framed by the moonlight falling across the room, eerily beautiful, is his downfall.

Wash arches into him when he presses her body against the frame, her breath catching and when he bends down and covers her lips with his she kisses him back with a passion that tells him that he isn´t alone in this, that she wants him as much as he wants her.

He pushes her inside and closes the door, turning the key without breaking the kiss, she´s as eager as he is, her arms wrapping around his neck but then she goes for what she wants, it´s who she is and why should it be any different now, she trusts him and he won´t hurt her, it´s as clear to her as it is to him.

His hands find their way underneath her top and encounter soft skin, she gasps into his mouth, her whole body shuddering at the contact and it takes all Taylor has to remember to go slowly, not to loose control with her.

He pulls the top up and over her head, his hands roaming over her body, her little gasps and moans edging him on as she melts into his touch.

Reaching around her, Taylor picks her up, carrying her over to the bed, if he doesn´t slow down he´ll be ending up taking her against the wall and that´s not what he had in mind, as cliché as it sounds he wants to make this perfect for her, or at least as perfect as it can be in a tiny room on a military base somewhere in Sudan.

He lays her down, then kicks off his boots before joining Wash on the bed.

She reaches up and touches his face, her beautiful eyes full of emotion, hair spread all over the pillow and when Taylor reaches out to run his fingers through the dark strands they feel like silk against his skin, he fists his hand into them to hold the girl steady as he begins kissing her again, hovering over her.

Reaching under her with his free hand and he unclasps her bra, smiling against her lips when she moans and arches against him, making it easier for him to part the garment, he has to pull away from her briefly to pull her bra off, then he looks at her, memorizing every inch of exposed skin.

She is flawlessly beautiful and for a moment this perfection makes him wish she´d chosen another path in life, one where she´d remain as unmarred as she is now, there are no doubts that in time she´ll get hurt in the field and scars will adorn her skin, there´s nothing he´ll be able to do to protect her from it.

Taylor trails his hand over her stomach, feels the muscles contract under his touch, then she arches up against him when he cups a breast, firmly caressing the soft flesh while trailing kisses over Wash´s collarbone.

Her hands pull his shirt free from his trousers, impatiently seeking skin to skin contact and Taylor allows her to pull it off, then she runs her hands over his shoulders and arms, her eyes darkening when he flexes his muscles in response to the touch.

"I love your arms" she whispers distractedly, making Taylor chuckle.

"Do you now" he flexes his muscles again and she sighs happily and digs her fingernails into his biceps, a mischievous smile on her face as he groans before bending down to her again, his tongue coaxing her lips apart and slipping into her mouth.

He runs his hand along her thigh and pulls it up over his hip, grinding against her as their kiss deepens, getting more aggressive and Wash instinctively tightens her leg around him, pulling him flush against him.

It´s getting harder and harder to concentrate, Taylor isn´t a patient man by nature and the way Wash is responding to him is starting to really test his limits and he rolls onto his back, bringing her with him, delighted at her breathless laugh as she balances herself in his lab.

Sitting up against the headboard he lets her set the pace but she seems to have no desire to slow down at all, instead she reaches for his belt buckle and opens it, pushing against him, encouraging him to follow her lead.

"You sure?"

He has to ask her, he knows that he won´t regret this, how could he when she is so damn perfect but he needs to make sure she feels the same way.

"Affirmative, Sir."

It´s hard to believe that she still has it in her to tease him but then he supposes that´s one of the reasons he´s so infatuated with her and he certainly won´t complain.

Nathaniel runs his hands over her hips, then starts to unbutton her jeans and slowly pulls them down along with her underwear, lifting her up with one arm wrapped around her waist to work the restraining fabric down her legs.

Her legs are endless, strong muscles flexing when he lowers her back onto the mattress, he kicks his pants off and then there´s nothing left between them and the sensations are overwhelming and Nathaniel can´t quite believe who much being this close to her affects him.

Wash bucks up against him, her voice breathless.

"Please" she gasps, fingernails digging into her CO´s shoulders, her eyes fluttering shut as he presses against her and slowly pushes inside as slowly as possible, no matter how hard it is to hold back, if he hurts her, he´ll never forgive himself.

There´s no trace of anything but pleasure detectable in her expression, her eyes are closed, long lashes resting on perfectly carved cheekbones, lips slightly parted, swollen from his kisses, her cheeks flushed and for a moment Taylor can do nothing but stare at her, entranced, drinking her in, completely dazzled by her beauty.

Her eyes open and Taylor feels as though he´s looking right into her soul and suddenly nothing matters anymore, there´s only them, right there, at this moment, in this place.

Wash has always been quick to learn, no matter what the subject and now she´s no different, beginning to move with him almost as soon as he starts to thrust into her, setting a slow, comfortable rhythm, allowing her to get used to the feeling.

At some point her legs wrap around his waist as she seeks to get closer to him, it changes the angle, deepens it and she tenses, moaning and bucking up against Taylor and he picks up his pace, lifting himself up onto his forearms for leverage.

She is getting close, he can from the way her muscles clench around him and he reaches between them, brushing his fingers over her clit in time with another hard thrust.

If Taylor has thought that his field medic was beautiful before, it´s been nothing in compare to when she breaks underneath him, her eyes widening, glazing over as she fights to keep them open, not wanting to miss this moment anymore than he does.

Her legs tighten around his waist, every muscle in her body going rigid, her voice a warm, honeyed tone as she breathes his name into his ear.

It´s all it takes to make him follow her, his lips finding her´s, stealing her breath away as he pours all the emotions running through him into the kiss.

Finally Wash is lying in Taylor´s arms, her head pillowed onto his chest, his fingers combing through her tangled hair as their breathing slowly evens out again.

"Was I any good, Sir?"

Her question makes him laugh and he pulls her to him, kissing her softly before answering.

"You´re a quick study, Private."

His words make her smile.

"I had a good teacher."

"I´m looking forward to teach you everything I know."

She raises her eyebrows, looking surprised but not apprehensive, she trusts him completely, knows that he wouldn´t toy with her.

"Why?"

She asks, it´s a simple question but the answer is far less so and Taylor thinks about it for a moment while she waits patiently for him to speak.

"Would you believe me if I told you that I love you?"

He finally asks, his fingertips slowly running up her spine as she snuggles against him.

"Yes."

That´s Wash, straight to the point and always honest and still Nathaniel feels that he owes her much more of an explanation.

"Do you really understand what this means?"

"You´re my CO, if anyone finds out I´ll be transferred."

Neither of them mentions his family, they will deal with that later, maybe the next time they actually make it back home, right now they have more pressing matters to discuss.

"If that happened, I´d probably never see you again."

The mere thought is too much too bear and he pulls Wash closer to him, buries his face in her hair, she smells of whiskey and soap and something that he has come to associate with just her and it calms him down again instantly.

"I don´t want to let you go again, Alicia" he tells her, feeling her smile against his neck at the sound of her name from his lips.

"Then don´t."

Her answer is heartfelt and perhaps it´s really that simple, perhaps she´ll be satisfied with what he can give her and if one day she´ll decide she wants more and moves on to someone else, Taylor hopes he´ll be able to live with it.

Right now, when she is in his arms, vibrant and beautiful and full of love and life, he can´t really imagine how.


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey everyone, I´m really, really sorry it took me so long to figure out what to do with this- I´m glad you all enjoyed it and I hope you´ll let me know what you think about the next parts, I´ve decided to just stick to the established facts and write more scenarios, starting with New Year´s Eve one year later- I´ve posted a short piece named `Snow` on lj, it´s set in the same universe and I`ll post it as third part over here, as well, then I´ll just see what pops into my mind, it´ll all be rated differently and won´t necessarily be in a timely order.**

_MissCallaLilly:_ Thank you so much- I´m sorry but I don´t think I´ll try that, I haven´t written anything but Wash/Taylor for TN yet and I don´t really plan on changing it but feel free to try yourself or bribe someone else into it ;)

_morningsunshines:_ Thanks very much for the comment :D

_Emtheuicorn:_ That´s a really nice complement, thanks very, very much!

_metube:_ I´m sorry, it took me ages to make up my mind about this piece, it was meant to be a one shot but I sort of like the storyline I´ve established and I´ll do more of it, hope you´re going to like it.

_Evenwhenyoudream:_ Thank you- yeah, well, it´s almost a bit too cute for them but I simply feel so bad for them most of the time, I have to write some fluff for them- well, I simply couldn´t picture Wash as shy or hesitant, she´s such a forward character and it seemed to fit better to make her go for what she wants and rather be curious than anxious about it.

I´ll try to keep it up, won´t all be M rated but I´ll stick to the established storyline.

* * *

It´s ironic that they should make it back to the States for New Year´s Eve, Taylor hasn´t been home in almost two years and tonight of all nights he´d rather be anywhere but there.

His wife and son are overjoyed by his presence, the grand party Ayani has insisted on organizing to give him an opportunity to meet as many friends and family members as possible is a huge success but all he can think about is the woman currently standing in front of his living room´s fireplace, a glass of champagne in her hand, clad in a floor length, black evening dress with her hair loosely curling down her back.

Taylor doesn´t have to ask her to know that she wishes it was Bourbon in her glass, that she was wearing something less glamorous and more practical and that being there, in his home, in his family´s home, irritates her, he also knows that she´d rather be anywhere else but there.

Their eyes meet across the room and she smiles, the kind of smile that makes his blood boil even though no one else would see anything special about it, it´s a smile reserved just for him, telling him all he needs to know.

Wash drops her gaze and turns away from him and instantly the room seems colder, darker, less like home, it´s not that Taylor isn´t happy to see his wife and son again but now there´s Alicia in his life and nothing is how it used to be before her, nothing ever will be.

He has spent more nights in his field medics tent in the last twelve months than he can count and if the rest of his unit notices, everyone has chosen to ignore it, even Tom Boylan has restrained himself and Wash and Taylor himself have fallen into an easy routine, she´s his model soldier and his perfect lover and he has adapted to being whatever she needs him to be in return.

They´ve never talked about his marriage, they have both accepted that he will be responsible and raise his son and be a husband to his wife, it doesn´t change the way he feels about Wash, nor the way she feels about him.

In theory it´s all been easy and comfortable, in reality they are here, in his family home, his wife mingling with her guests and his son asleep upstairs and that leaves them further apart than they have been since they first met each other, even though they are technically in the same room.

A hand on his arm makes him turn towards his wife who smiles lightly, nodding at the glass in his hand.

"Champagne, Nathaniel?"

He shrugs.

"Seemed to be the right occasion for it."

He can´t even imagine drinking Bourbon instead, Bourbon is associated with Wash now, it´s their thing and drinking it alone doesn´t have much appeal anymore.

Ayani nods, amused, then looks around the room, it´s packed with people, all dressed up and having a good time, the male members of his unit standing out in their dress uniforms, the female one standing out because of her beauty and grace.

"It´s so nice of them all to come, everyone has been dying to meet them."

She smiles fondly, motherly, then her gaze lands on Wash who is still standing in the same spot, the light from the fire catching in her hair, a reddish glow high lightening the dark locks.

Taylor remembers the first time he noticed that particular effect, precisely one year previously, the night he first made love to her, that magical night that changed his life, altered it, altered him.

"Isn´t it hard for her?"

His wife asks and Taylor turns towards Ayani, looking at her inquiringly.

"I´m sorry?"

"Well, she´s the only woman and she´s younger than the rest, don´t you ever wonder what it is like?"

"She´s doing perfectly fine" Taylor answers, it´s an automatic reply, slightly indignant that anyone would imply his girl, his Wash couldn´t hold her own among the guys.

Ayani chuckles, her hand coming to rest on his arm as she watches Wash talk to Boylan, her eyes sparkling as she laughs at something her comrade has said.

"Of course she is, she would´t be on your team if she wasn´t."

One of his wife´s friends walks up to them and engages her in conversation, leaving Taylor to his own devices once more.

He takes advantage, crossing the room and coming to stand next to Boylan, nodding briefly at his friend and the other man takes the hint at once and excuses himself to Wash, smirking at Taylor before walking away.

"Holding up all right, Wash?"

"Fine, Sir."

Her smile is distant, polite, professional and Taylor hates it, hates that this is all that can pass between them but there´s nothing to be done about that, not as long as they are around other people.

All he wants is to steal her away for a few moments, be alone with her, see that smile again, touch her, breathe her in.

"Any plans for the rest of your vacation?"

They are on leave for almost two weeks until they´ll ship out to Sudan again, their mission far from over.

Wash shrugs, twirling the stem of her glass between her fingers.

"Nothing special, Sir, I might go and see my parents."

She doesn´t like talking about her family, all Taylor knows is that her parents are living in L.A., close to the beach, not that it counts for much these days when the oceans are too polluted to be enjoyable any longer.

The thought that she might leave and that he might not get to see her for two whole weeks makes him uneasy, it´s hard enough to be unable to touch her, not seeing her will be more than he wants to cope with.

"Stay" he tells her quietly, egotistically and as soon as he´s said it, he feels guilty.

"Don´t mind me, I´m being an idiot" he adds, speaking just as low, his words only for her.

She actually smiles for a moment.

"I don´t think I could leave you that long, even if I wanted to."

They are both in way too deep and simultaneously relieved that the other feels the same way.

All around them people are talking, drinking, having a good time, oblivious to the whirlwind of emotion their host and his medic are currently experiencing right in their midst.

Taylor turns away from Wash wordlessly, he isn´t worried, he knows she´ll understand him, she always does and he only has to wait a few minutes before she slips into the kitchen and closes the door behind herself.

Their kiss is hungry, desperate, her fingers lacing through his hair, his arms closing tightly around her waist, there´s no room for thinking, for breathing, for anything but the glorious feeling of finally, finally getting that one moment to themselves they´ve been waiting for all night.

They break apart again, panting, Wash´s cheeks are flushed a lovely shade of pink and she sighs in relief, matching Taylor´s own feelings, he´s been needing this just as much as she has.

When one of the guests wanders into the kitchen moments later, Taylor is opening a champagne bottle while Wash is leaning against the kitchen counter, making polite conversation with her CO, a harmless setting, one no one would think about twice.

It´s after midnight when Taylor finds himself searching for Wash again, he´s done done his duty and kissed his wife at midnight, now he´s looking for the woman he wish could have been in Ayani´s place.

He finally locates her outside on the porch where she is watching the fireworks, dark hair rippling in the slight breeze and an entranced expression on her beautiful face.

It´s dark on the porch and Taylor wordlessly takes the young woman´s arm and pulls her further into the shadows, around the corner of the house and presses her up against the wall, his fingers lacing through her hair as he covers her mouth with his.

They kiss leisurely, almost lazily, comfort well established over the past year, perfectly in tune with each other and when Taylor pulls away, there´s a dreamy smile on Alicia´s lips.

"Happy new year, Wash."

Taylor breathes against her lips, emphasizing his words with another tender kiss.

"Happy new year, Sir."

They are both smiling now, the familiar banter delighting them as they allow themselves to enjoy the moment a little longer than is strictly advisable.

Luck seems to be on their side, though, no one comes outside to look for them and they step back onto the porch, this time in plain sight, Wash shivering a little in her dress, after the African heat, the chill of a North American December night uncomfortable cold.

Taylor puts his jacket around her shoulders, smiling when she closes her eyes and inhales deeply, very obviously enjoying his scent enveloping her.

"So, Wash, any new resolutions this year?"

He teases her and she chuckles, shaking her head.

"Nothing special, Sir, doing well, staying alive, keeping everyone else so."

"Sounds like a good plan to me, Corporal."

There´s silence for a while as they both continue to watch the fireworks, for some reason the tradition is still strong, even though it doesn't look half as nice against the thick swirling clouds as it used to against a midnight sky when Taylor was a young boy.

"We´ll need to keep fit while we´re on leave" Taylor tells his medic conversationally and she catches on instantly, nodding, her expression unreadable.

"If you say so, Sir."

He can´t help but smile at her words, it´s something she tells him whenever she feels that he´s stating the obvious and it never fails to amuse him.

"Gonna join me in a little combat training tomorrow?"

"Will do."

"Let´s say midday, with all the champagne I´ve been forced to consume, I doubt I´ll be up to much earlier than that."

She bites her lip, amused by his double meaning, they haven´t talked about this either, both know that they probably shouldn´t, making arrangements to meet outside of his house, hoping that they will be alone for a while.

Neither of them is strong enough to stay away.


	3. Chapter 3

He´s been watching her for the better part of ten minutes and finally he can´t keep quiet anymore, the temptation to tease her too great to resist.

"It won´t bite you, you know."

The young woman jumps at the sound of his voice and Taylor smiles, she´s been so preoccupied that she hasn´t even sensed his presence, it´s unlike her but right now, when they are in a friendly environment, it´s charming rather than worrisome.

"I know that, Sir."

She replies, sounding indignant but she doesn´t move from her spot in the doorway all the same.

"I can go first" he offers, incapable of keeping the amusement at bay and she glares at him, dark eyes alight with annoyance, she hates being teased, his medic and that´s part of what makes it so much fun for Taylor.

"I will go outside, Sir."

She states firmly, squaring her slim shoulders and flipping her unbound hair back impatiently.

"When, Wash, next year?"

It´s a week after New Year´s and they´ve been back at base for some days now, straight from Sudan and the cold has been a shock after the African heat, especially to Wash who´s grown up on the West Coast and never experienced a true winter before.

"Funny, Sir."

He chuckles, she´s adorable when she´s impatient and he loves watching her, her whole body tense as she fights her frustration with herself, she doesn't like to seem apprehensive, especially not in front of him.

"It´s just snow, Wash."

"I know that."

Her voice is a higher pitch than usual, it reminds Taylor how young she really is and for a moment it twists his stomach as the familiar feeling of guilt threatens to settle once again but then she takes a tentative step forward and her boot sinks deep into the soft while mass.

Her surprised gasp distracts Taylor, she´s enchanting with her flushed cheeks and slightly parted lips and he quickly follows her, stepping behind her and his hands find the curve of her waist as he steadies her.

She shivers and Taylor is fairly sure that it´s not from the cold but from his touch alone and he can´t help himself, he pulls her closer to him and she allows herself to melt into his arms for just a moment, then she pulls away and takes another step, this time she is less hesitant and when her second boot is buried in the snow, the frown on her face makes way for a delighted smile.

"It´s beautiful" she tells him, smiling at him over her shoulder, dark eyes wide in wonderment, hair rippling in the wind and he wholeheartedly agrees with her, it is beautiful and yet it all pales compared to her.


	4. Chapter 4

**metube**: Lol, you´re such a flatterer but of course I´m lapping it up ;)

Here´s another part, it´s set in the same AU and set after Wash has gotten shot and before Taylor returns to TN.

* * *

Waking up to a headache isn´t anything new but this time it takes some time before Wash realizes that she is still alive, despite receiving a head shot at point blank range.

When she tries to move she realizes that she her hands are bound and attached to a wall and after struggling for a moment she has to admit defeat, so she concentrates on her surrounding instead.

Once her eyes have adjusted to the almost darkness around her she realizes she´s in the brig, lying on the ground with her hands chained with metal cuffs, the construction has been handy when securing prisoners many times in the past, now she´s getting a first hand experience of how it feels like.

The lieutenant manages to sit up and lean back against the wall instead, eyes falling shut again, the simple movement having put too much strain on her exhausted body.

The door opens moments later and she tenses when Lucas enters the room and closes it again behind himself before turning towards her again.

"Wash- that was quicker than expected, it´s not even midnight yet."

She glares up at him, determined not to let him notice how terrified she is, a shot to the head is one thing, being exposed to Lucas Taylor´s sadistic tendencies quite another.

He steps over to her and crouches down in front of her, his fingers brushing against her temple and she flinches involuntarily, the light touch hurts like hell and she realizes that she has been hit with a sonic blast to stun her rather than kill her.

"What do you want, Lucas?"

She asks, firmly holding his gaze, even though seeing these blue eyes again twists her stomach.

"Revenge, Wash- my father´s already suffering, thinking you´re dead, now it´s your turn."

She has been expecting his declaration and manages to keep her face expressionless as she shrugs.

"Bring it on, then."

"Not so hasty, Wash, we aren´t ready to leave yet."

"What are you talking about?"

Her voice is sharper than is advisable, provoking him probably not a smart move at all but he just smiles in that feral way she has come to associate with danger and strokes his fingertips over her cheek.

"Always so impatient- you´re coming back to 2148 with me, won´t that be fun?"

Her heart begins to pound at a sickening pace and Lucas apparently has detected her shock for his smile widens.

"That´s going to be your punishment, Alicia, without me there won´t be a portal back to the past and I won´t open one again, you´ll have your whole life ahead of you and you´ll have to spend it thinking of my father who in turn will believe that you´re dead and rotting away somewhere in the jungle."

Lucas suddenly reaches underneath his jacket, face contorting in pain.

"Damn it" he curses under his breath, getting to his feet slowly and leaning against the wall.

"What happened to you?"

Wash inquires, hoping that perhaps he might be hurt bad enough to have to propane his plan for a while.

"Skye shot me, after I put a knife in the great Commander´s side."

He spats, grinning when he sees Wash go pale.

"Oh, don´t worry, he´ll live, probably could stab him a hundred times and it wouldn´t do him in, you´re both far too stubborn to just die when you´re supposed to."

Wash knows exactly what he is talking about, he has told her before that she should have died in his mother´s place, that she had no right to be alive when Ayani was dead.

Fury spreads through her and it effectively calms her racing heart and helps her to get back to her usual cool controlled self, she has to get out of here and she has to get Lucas to make it possible.

"Might be infected, we don´t use bullets that often, most of them are rusty these days."

She states carelessly and it gets his attention, just like she has expected, her reputation as a medic is legendary and Lucas knows all the stories Nathaniel loved to tell about her making the impossible possible in the field.

"You think so? The idiotic medic told me it should be ok."

She leans her head back against the wall again, demonstratively closing her eyes.

"See if I care, perhaps I´ll get lucky and you bleed out, they won´t be able to open the portal without you."

"And what do you think would happen to you if I was gone?"

Wash shrugs lightly without opening her eyes.

Lucas steps closer to her and she hears him powering up his gun before bending down and unlocking her cuffs, pressing the gun against her neck at the same time.

"Get up."

"Doubt I can."

The gun digs into her skin as Lucas shoves his foot into her ribs, almost making her double over with pain.

"Make it happen, now."

She makes a show of struggling to her feet, then without hesitation kicks Lucas´ legs out from under him and crushes the hand holding the gun under her boot so quickly she takes him completely by surprise.

His high pitched scream echoes through the brig as she kicks the gun away from him before reaching for his second arm and breaking it with a quick motion.

She crouches down next to him and threads her fingers through his hair, yanking his head back and bringing her lips close to his ear.

"Be quiet or I´ll take care of your legs, too- is there anyone in the corridor?"

"You bitch-"

Lucas whimpers as his ankle snaps as well, then shakes his head, tears streaming down his face, as her fingers tighten even more.

"When does the shift end?"

"Midnight."

Lucas croaks out, he´s not cut out to endure pain, never has been.

Wash lets go of his hair and reaches for the knife in his belt, pulling it out and putting it into her pocket before picking up the gun.

"Wash" the young man pleads, watching her with wide, teary, eyes, "you can´t just leave me here."

Wash watches him writhe in agony, feeling no empathy at all.

"Watch me."

She strides out of the brig, closing the door and punching in the security code to close the door, broken bones won´t kill him anytime soon and there´s no doubt someone will come looking for him soon, he´s too valuable to be discarded lightly to them.

Wash creeps along the corridor towards the back exit, gun at the ready, determined not to go down without putting up one hell of a fight for the third time that week.

She zips up her dark jacket to blend better with the darkness outside and slips through the door, crouching down in the shadows of the command center´s wall.

Just when she has rounded the building a bell sounds and the soldiers standing guard at the steps start walking away towards the barracks, leaving their posts deserted and Wash snorts under her breath, they seem to be a little too sure of themselves when they don´t even find it necessary to wait until their replacements have arrived before deserting their posts, no member of her unit would ever have dared doing such a thing.

Skirting quickly and quietly around the lit plaza Wash hides in the shadow of a watchtower, wondering what to do next, she can´t afford to wait until the new guards arrive and she can´t slip out of the closed gate while the power is up, either.

Someone could find Lucas at any moment and then it will be getting very uncomfortable for her.

To Wash´s intense relief help comes from an rather unlikely source in the form of a rover appearing out of the darkness and approaching the gate and while it´s harder to keep to the shadows now that the additional lights from the vehicle lighten up the area, the gate is raising slowly to let the rover through.

Wash waits for the perfect moment when the rover has just passed through and the attention of the one soldier on the tower is on the vehicle to roll under the closing gate and to the side of the road before taking off at a run towards the treelike.

She can´t quite believe that this has actually worked but she is outside and relatively unharmed though the real difficulties are only just beginning.

She is exhausted and desperately wants to sleep but she can´t stay where she is, there´ll be people outside searching for her soon, Lucas won´t let her go just like that and by now the Phoenix soldiers will know exactly who helped Shannon get their comrades killed off.

Thinking that her best option is to keep moving for a while Wash makes her way into the jungle, keeping her gun powered up to be prepared for any nasty surprises in form of predators and after a while she finds the spot where Nathaniel has been waiting for the Shannons and her earlier.

Deciding that her best option is to follow the traces their wheels made in the soft earth, Wash does just that, hoping that the camp isn´t far away and that she will reach it before she is being overtaken or eaten by anything nasty.


End file.
